New Mexico 4-H celebrates centennial

Every community in Quay County has many people who were 4-Hers as youth and this year we are remembering them and their legacy as New Mexico 4-H celebrates its 100th birthday. As you visit with them, you will learn about the fun times they had in 4-H, the friendships they formed, and about that demonstration they were scared to give, or their winning animal. 4-H provided them with many great memories and they are some of our strongest supporters.

Members of the C-C 4-H Club

Members of the Wranglers 4-H Club

Members of the Tumbleweed 4-H Club in Logan

For many young people 4-H has been life changing and helped mold them into the adults they are today. 4-H has taught young people life skills including organization and responsibility. 4-Hers learn to create and build instead of tear down. Many famous leaders have been 4-Hers.

The week of Oct. 7 - 12 is National 4-H week and Quay County 4-H Council Officers are using this opportunity to recruit the next generation of leaders. 4-Hers in Quay County will be among more than six million around the world who are recognizing the importance of this youth program.

There are still some people out there who think 4-H is strictly an agriculture club geared around showing animals at fairs. However, the 4-H program is so much more than cows and plows. Through a variety of project areas available, club members develop skills they will use for the rest of their lives. They learn things such as public speaking, leadership, the importance of volunteerism and citizenship, life skills, computer science and much more. Quay County's fastest growing project area is shooting sports and we have some outstanding 4-H leaders who are helping youth learn to shoot safely and accurately.

What makes 4-H unique is that the families of 4-H club members are encouraged to join the fun and learning process. Often the parents learn more than the kids. 4-H is a family affair and the whole family is involved in a project, sometimes they are the taste testers for a cooking project or they are the ones carrying the heavy feed sacks for their young child, other times they are the encouragers or counselors

Research shows that an important factor in youth succeeding in life is the involvement o caring adults in their lives. 4-H helps to build relationships between youth and their parents and adult volunteers.

To get the most out of 4-H, families need to be aware that there is a lot of work, but as one parent posted to Facebook recently, "4-H community service — Because we'd rather have our kids pick up trash in Green T-shirts now, than pick up trash in orange jumpsuits later." Working together on projects is good for everyone. We learn to talk to each other, help each other and are reducing screen time too.

Families interested in joining Quay County 4-H may call the Extension Office at 461-0562 for a list of current clubs or may visit our webpage at http://quayextension.nmsu.edu. Follow 4-H activities on Facebook at Quay County Extension Service. The Quay County 4-H Program is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educator.